flydubai awaits conclusive findings on Rostov crash

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flydubai awaits conclusive findings on Rostov crash
An official examines the charred debris of the Boeing jet.

Dubai - The IAC stopped short of saying the pilots were to blame, noting they had the necessary experience and training, but said their condition and actions were being evaluated.

By Abdul Basit

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Published: Fri 8 Apr 2016, 12:00 AM

Last updated: Sat 9 Apr 2016, 11:53 AM

The flydubai passenger plane crashed in Russia last month after being flown in a contradictory manner minutes before it smashed into the ground, a statement from investigators said on Friday.
After circling over the southern Russian airport of Rostov for more than two hours because of high ground-level winds and poor visibility, flydubai plane Boeing 737-800 crashed during a second landing attempt on March 19, resulting in the death of all 62 people on board.
"A preliminary flight data analysis has revealed that the crew was approaching to land manually (autopilot disconnected) in difficult weather conditions (cloud base 630 meters, wind 230 degrees 13 meters per second maximum 18 meters per second, light shower rain, mist, severe turbulence on straight-on and moderate windshear)," said the Moscow-based Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC), which is investigating the crash.
"The crew had decided to abort landing and circle round again. They had begun to gain altitude when the controls of the plane were abruptly pushed away, pushing its nose lower. That, combined with the angle of the tail fin, sent the plane into a steep dive which the pilots were unable to pull out of."
"We are aware of the information that has been released by the Interstate Aviation Committee. We share the desire to get conclusive findings as quickly as possible as outlined by the International Standards And Recommended Practices in International Civil Aviation Organisation's (ICAO) Annex 13. We continue to support the investigating authorities in liaison with the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA)," flydubai chief executive officer Ghaith Al Ghaith said in a statement to Khaleej Times.
The IAC stopped short of saying the pilots were to blame, noting they had the necessary experience and training, but said their condition and actions were being evaluated.
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"Currently works are under way at the IAC facilities to reproduce the circumstances of the accident. Both airline pilots and test-pilots from the Russian Federation, the USA and the UAE have been engaged in the investigation to assess the status and actions of the crew," the IAC added.
A senior aviation analyst said that while early indications point to pilot error, there is still a long way to go in this investigation.
"There could be a number of reasons for what happened. Indeed, with the Air France A330-200 crash in 2009, the weather had a direct impact on the spatial awareness of the crew which, in turn, affected their decision-making prior to the crash," Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at the UK's StrategicAero Research, told Khaleej Times.
Reuters reported that unnamed sources have told Russian newspapers that an initial read-out of the plane's flight recorders had suggested the two pilots argued about the right course of action to take in the minutes before the crash. 

FZ981 Update 15:We are aware of the information that has been released by the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC). We...
Posted by flydubai on Friday, April 8, 2016
abdulbasit@khaleejtimes.com

Flydubai Chief Executive Officer Ghaith Al Ghaith
Flydubai Chief Executive Officer Ghaith Al Ghaith

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